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There are two options: a) some laptops are inside the James Joyce Library and can only be used inside the library, and b) there are also laptops outside the library that you can use any place on campus.

Borrow a laptop HERE.

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A point of contact, support and referral for all UCD students throughout their studies. Every academic programme in UCD has a dedicated Student Adviser who offers students time and space to explore issues of concern to them. They can assist students in finding pathways to deal with personal, social and emotional issues and can advise of appropriate UCD policies, procedures and services. HERE.

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Information on books, journals, databases and other useful social justice resources.

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Information on books, journals, databases and other useful social justice resources. The front page of the guide

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Use this QR Code for your feedback. This is your opportunity to have your voice heard in UCD
www.ucd.ie/survey

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Temporary Exam Support

Temporary Exam Supports are intended for students who have an injury or temporary condition. Please email me explaining your illness or temporary condition which is affecting your ability to complete your exams in order to organise such supports. More information HERE.

Extenuating Circumstances

Extenuating circumstances are serious, unforeseen circumstances beyond your control which prevent you from meeting the requirements of your programme. If you are unable to complete assignments or attend required classes/exams due to unforeseen circumstances, you can apply for extenuating circumstances. See information HERE

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Academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism

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Academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism

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Academic Integrity is one of the core values in academic activity. You are expected to be familiar with UCD’s policies governing student affairs and conduct, including plagiarism. See UCD guidelines on academic integrity HERE. Plagiarism is a serious violation of university codes on academic integrity, this includes plagiarising material from the web, printed sources, other students’ work, or any other source.

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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See an alphabetic list of regulations HERE.

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UCD Document Repository | A-Z of Documents For UCD Graduate Students| UCD Graduate Studies

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View and download documents relating to UCD. Our Document Repository provides a full list of information relating to UCD

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- Academic Training
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Academic Resources
- Health and Wellbeing
- Financial Support
- IT Support and Technology
- Equality Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)
- Getting Together
- Tutors Programme
- Useful Tips
- Academic Integrity
- Student Code of Conduct
- Work and Volunteering Opportunities
- Students Accommodation
- Academic Regulations

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Research and Professional Development Planning (RPDP)

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Research and Professional Development Planning (RPDP)

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The purpose of such planning is to ensure that your work is clearly focused on achieving your research and professional development goals. Engaging with the RPDP will aid the trajectory of your PhD research and your training and development as a researcher.

The RPDP consists of three sections. The first highlights guidance on research planning, the second highlights guidance on professional development planning and the third section is the RPDP Form itself. Part 1 of the RPDP form is a record of the student's activities and Part 2 is the Research Studies Panel (RSP) Meeting Report.

Academic Regulations 2020-2021, effective from September 2020, stipulate that the completed and signed Research and Professional Development Planning Form from your most recent RSP meeting is submitted as one of the required documents to a Transfer Assessment Panel (TAP) where a student seeks to:

transfer from Stage 1 to Stage 2 of a Doctoral programme, or

transfer from a Research Master's Programme to a PhD Programme.
Note: The RPDP form is a fillable PDF.
Tips on filling in interactive PDF forms. Please ensure you are using Adobe Acrobat Version 8 or above.
Full instructions are available here.
RPDP -Research and Professional Development Planning Form

*Note: If you are experiencing issues with the pdf format of the file, please use the word version of Research and Professional Development Planning V1.3A instead.

Getting to Grips with your RPDP - Video Recording

An introduction on how to start completing your RPDP

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Research and Professional Development Planning | Structured PhD programme at UCD| UCD Graduate Studies

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The purpose of such planning is to ensure that your work is clearly focused on achieving your research and professional development goals. Engaging with the RPDP will aid the trajectory of your PhD research and your training and development as a researcher. The RPDP consists of three sections.

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- Academic regulations HERE.
- Current students regulations HERE.

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Leave your comments, suggestions or questions about academic advising and how we can support your academic path at UCD HERE.

**Join our SPSWSJ Cafe Conversations on Wednesday once a month at 11am** at the SPSWSJ Building, Lobby, second floor.

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See UCD events HERE.

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Please be advised - although events are uploaded to the online events calendar on a regular basis, from time to time, events which are taking place in University College Dublin may not appear in the online events calendar. If the event you are searching for is not included here, please contact the event organiser for details.

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Academic

UCD offers a number of scholarships and awards to postgraduate students. You'll find a listing of annually awarded scholarships, prizes and awards under each College below.

Details of graduate scholarships may also be published on the Graduate Studies website and depending on your area of study may also be listed on your School website.

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UCD offers a number of scholarships and awards to postgraduate students. You'll find a listing of annually awarded scholarships, prizes and awards under each College below. Details of graduate scholarships may also be published on the Graduate Studies website and depending on your area of study may also be listed on your School website.

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More info HERE.

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Welcome to UCD Residences.

As a leader in the provision of University campus accommodation we strive every day to provide the best facilities, services, and welcome to all of our students.

To contact UCD Residences please phone 01 716 1031.

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Welcome to UCD Residences. As a leader in the provision of University campus accommodation we strive every day to provide the best facilities, services, and welcome to all of our students. To contact UCD Residences please phone 01 716 1031.

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All members of the University Community have the right to study or work in an environment free from bullying, harassment and sexual harassment. Students, staff and visitors to UCD can report anonymously through the UCD Report and Support tool. You can also check out supports and learn about other options available, including making a formal complaint.

If there is an emergency or you require out of hours assistance please call Unicare on 01 716 7999.

You can choose to make an anonymous report or find out more about your other options.

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All members of the University Community have the right to study or work in an environment free from bullying, harassment and sexual harassment. Students, staff and visitors to UCD can report anonymously through the UCD Report and Support tool. You can also check out supports and learn about other options available, including making a formal complaint.

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Access publications HERE.

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UCD's Research Repository is a digital collection of open access scholarly research publications from researchers at University College Dublin.

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See the directory HERE.

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UCD Societies - Welcome to the UCD Societies website Our Societies

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Student Volunteering HERE.

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Get Engaged UCD Students UCD Employees UCD Alumni Community-based Organisations (CBOs) UCD Explore UCD Charities of Choice UCD in the Community Flagship Events

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A video from UCD mindfulness course HERE.
What is midfulness? HERE.

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Classes will take place on Wednesdays from 5.30-7pm. Starting Wednesday 16 Nov 2022 until Wednesday 14 December 2022. The class each week will be one and a half hours long 5.30-7pm. There is also 30 minutes of home practice every day in between classes in your own time.

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Classes will take place on Wednesdays from 5.30-7pm. Starting Wednesday 16 Nov 2022 until Wednesday 14 December 2022. The class each week will be one and a half hours long 5.30-7pm. There is also 30 minutes of home practice every day in between classes in your own time.

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To download and embed the individual e-tutorials, check HERE

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LibGuides: Digital Literacy: UCD Library’s Digital Literacy Open Educational Resources

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LibGuides: Digital Literacy: UCD Library’s Digital Literacy Open Educational Resources

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See a number of technological resources HERE.

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The James Joyce Library will be open as follows: Monday to Friday 8am-12pm; Saturday and Sunday 9am-9pm.

Full Opening hours HERE.

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The Student Code of Conduct is established on three principles: respect, responsibility and academic integrity.

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See a number of resources about UDL HERE.

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The Student Assistance Fund provides financial support to students who are in significant financial difficulty and whose participation in college would be at risk without such support.

●      The HEAR Student Support Fund (SSF)

●      Support for Part-time Students

●      Support for Students who are Parenting

Learn more HERE.

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Full-Time Students who are Parenting

Additional financial support is available through the Student Assistance Fund for low income students who are parenting. In order to successfully apply for this support students must first be approved for funding by the university Student Support Fund in the current academic year. Students can apply for the Student Support Fund (Found under: Programme Services > Welfare and Assistance).

Full time students, who meet the low income household threshold (€50,840) and who are parenting (either alone or as part of a partnership) are eligible for a top-up payment of €500, in addition to the standard SSF payment.
MAKING AN APPLICATION:
1. Complete the online Student Assistance Fund application through your SISWeb account (Under Programme > Welfare and Assistance).

Note: One parent family applicants should identify as "Single Adult Household with Dependent Children" and select either: Lone Parent/Full-Time student in the drop-down menus on this form.

You will only be able to upload one document to your online application so please merge all pages of all documents into one file and upload that. If you don't upload supporting documents, your application will not be processed.

2. Complete an Budget Form

3. Complete a Budget Form estimating your annual expenses

Both forms should be downloaded, filled out, signed and emailed to allstudentsaf@ucd.ie

**Please indicate in the subject line of the email the fund you are applying for e.g. Full Time Parenting SAF**
PROVIDING PROOF OF PARENT STATUS:
Students who are parenting in partnership and have been assessed for SAF on a joint income must provide evidence of parenting role (e.g. one of their children's birth certificates).

Parents who are parenting alone and have been assessed for SAF on a single income must provide proof of One Parent Family status.

Proof of One Parent Family status may be:

Social Welfare statement indicating a One Parent Family Payment

Social Welfare statement indicating a Job Seekers Transitional Payment

Social Welfare statement + evidence of having been receipt of a Job Seekers Transitional Payment within the past four years

Social Welfare statement + receipt from a Disability Payment indicating the full rate for one adult and any dependent children

Statement of Tax Liability indicating either SP or LP tax credits.

SP - single parent tax credit

LP - lone parent tax credit

Please don't hesitate to contact ALL staff if you have any questions or need any guidance with applying by emailing: all@ucd.ie

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Full-Time Students who are Parenting Additional financial support is available through the Student Assistance Fund for low income students who are parenting. In order to successfully apply for this support students must first be approved for funding by the university Student Support Fund in the current academic year.

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See guidelines and Apply HERE.

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Yes. Full details on making an appeal will be provided to all applicants who are initially unsuccessful in their applications.

There will be an Independent Appeals Panel to ensure your application was assessed fairly and in line with the criteria. An appeal must be made before the closing date. The appeal process will open on 21st November 2022 and will close on 28th November. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified on 21st November including information on how to make an appeal.

The appeals procedure is in respect of process only i.e., that you believe an administrative error was made.

No new information can be included or considered at appeal stage.

Appeals must be completed online within before the closing date.

Appeals will be independently reviewed on the grounds that the information provided was considered, assessed, and ranked correctly. The information submitted in the online application and the supporting documentation received will be used in consideration of the appeal. It will not be possible to submit further documentation at the appeal stage.

The decision of the 1916 Bursary Appeals Board is final.
FAQ's - The 1916 Bursary

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Yes. Full details on making an appeal will be provided to all applicants who are initially unsuccessful in their applications. There will be an Independent Appeals Panel to ensure your application was assessed fairly and in line with the criteria. An appeal must be made before the closing date.

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Our services Working with Agile Agile's Consulting Services Training Mapping Our Students' Experience Strategy in Operation

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Mental Health and Wellbeing Support Colleagues

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Support Gender Equality Mediation AURORA Embedding EDI: Guidelines for Visibility Breastfeeding Facilities Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit Dignity & Respect Disability LGBTI Supports EDI Learning Access to the UCD Community for Refugees & Asylum Seekers Mental Health and Wellbeing at UCD Multiculturalism Supports for Carers Supports for Parents Tips for Inclusive Recruitment Bereavement Support Open Door Initiative Quality Review Resources

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Technology Enhanced Learning College Showcase

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Technology Enhanced Learning College Showcase

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Technology Enhanced Learning in UCD Social Sciences and Law

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Digitally transforming educational practice in UCD Social Sciences and Law

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Log in for UCD support on Brightspace.

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SensusAccess allows you to automatically convert documents into a range of alternate media including audio books (MP3 and DAISY), e-books (EPUB, EPUB3 and Mobi) , digital Braille, BeeLine.

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Below are a series of resources to help you get the most out of SensusAccess.

Having documents in an accessible file format ensures that we can all take in information in the way which suits us best. It might be necessary to convert a file in order to use it with assistive technology or to access the information in a different way eg. text to mp3.

It is important to understand that SensusAccess does not guarantee that the contents of a document are accessible. We have more information in our Guidelines for Accessible Documents page.
Golden Rules for using SensusAccess successfully:

Ensure that your source document contents are accessible - Microsoft Office 365 programmes such as Word have a built-in accessibility checker. You can also consult our checklist below.

Use good quality images - When converting pictures or scanned PDFs to text, for optimum accuracy use the clearest photo possible - no smudges, no shadows. Make sure the text in the photo is straight.

Be careful with PDFs - If you have a scan of a book in PDF form, or a PDF where the text cannot be recognised (not OCR-readable) you may get better results by converting to an image file eg. .tif, and then to a PDF.

Use an Equation Editor - SensusAccess can read mathematical symbols, but they must be written using an equation editor such as the editor in Word, or MathType.

Provide the correct metadata - When converting text files, check that the language of the document is set, that headers and titles are marked, and that the file properties have the correct author set. This is very important when converting to e-book file types.

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Below are a series of resources to help you get the most out of SensusAccess. Having documents in an accessible file format ensures that we can all take in information in the way which suits us best. It might be necessary to convert a file in order to use it with assistive technology or to access the information in a different way eg.

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Find and register HERE for workshops and training with the UCD library (e.g. endnote, Open Access publishing, etc).

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EDI Training HERE.
EDI support HERE.

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Find out more about the EDI Training and Awareness Raising programme, tailored for our UCD community based on UCD's EDI commitments and your feedback. Click on one of the image shortcuts below.

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EDI Training - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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Find out more about the EDI Training and Awareness Raising programme, tailored for our UCD community based on UCD's EDI commitments and your feedback. Click on one of the image shortcuts below.

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Video map series on the routes to navigate UCD. Follow the Red, Blue, Yellow, and Orange routes. An introduction HERE.

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Getting Around UCD VideoMap Series - Intro

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NiteLine: Support for students who might be experiencing mental health problems

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NiteLine: Support for students who might be experiencing mental health problems

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This is an anonymous and confidential student listening service from 9pm - 2.30am, supporting students through instant messaging and over the phone, some who are at risk of dropping out of UCD and others who are contemplating taking their own lives.

See a 3-minute video HERE.

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The library has created tutorials on Digital Literacy and Digital Identities. Take these tutorials and become familiar with this topic HERE.

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Skip to Main Content

It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

A person's digital identity has an important impact on how they are perceived by their family, peers, academic mentors, future employers and many others. The phrase 'Digital Identities and Practices' covers a variety of skills related to understanding one's digital footprint, being aware of how online platforms use the data provided by their users, and interacting online in a safe and ethical manner. In this capability we are focusing on two skills:

Understand the benefits and risks of the current digital environment.

Participate ethically and safely in online spaces

The resources below are designed to provide intermediate-level training in these two skills.

Library resources for Understanding Digital Identities and Practices

Th e following tutorials explore how to monitor your digital footprint, interact in academic online spaces, and take care of your digital wellbeing.

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LibGuides: Digital Literacy: Understand Digital Identities & Practices

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Skip to Main Content It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

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Support Gender Equality Mediation AURORA Embedding EDI: Guidelines for Visibility Unconscious Bias Supports Breastfeeding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit Dignity & Respect Disability LGBTI Supports Access to the UCD Community for Refugees & Asylum Seekers Mental Health Multiculturalism Supports for Carers Supports for Parents Tips for Inclusive Recruitment Bereavement Support Open Door Initiative Quality Review Resources

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College Certificate in Teaching and Learning Support

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News and Events IRC Projects 2022 IRC Projects 2021 IWD 2021 UCD Impact Competition Results QS Rankings 2021 Launch of Digital Policy Dr Sarah Morton EU Award for Excellence in Teaching Rising to the Challenge through Covid 19 crisis Choose Your Career Pathway Bradley Garrett Preppers Article Aidan Regan Business Post Eurozone Qs Rankings 2020 International Women's Day 2020 UCD Psychology Suicide Intervention Model UCD Social Sciences Graduate Webinar News Archive COVID19 Showcase QS Subject Rankings 2022 IWD 2022 Conferrings 2022

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Coronavirus - UCD Safety, Insurance, Operational Risk & Compliance Office

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University College Dublin uses cookies and similar technologies to deliver, maintain, and improve our services. Some are necessary to help websites work properly, can’t be switched off and do not require consent, and some are optional but support UCD and your experience in other ways.

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Online Interactive Map UCD Estate HERE.

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UCD John Hume Institute for Global Irish Studies (William Jefferson Clinton Auditorium)

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See the location of your class room HERE

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24/7 Emergency line: 01 716 7999 for assistance in the classroom or campus (e.g. personal safety, medical assistance, the walk safe service, security) HERE.
Wal Safe Service HERE.

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In order to ensure a safe and secure environment in UCD it is vital everybody plays their part in looking out for their own safety and for the safety of others.

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WHO Resources on Wellbeing and managing stress in more than 20 languages.

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WHO Resources on Wellbeing and managing stress in more than 20 languages.

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Find out about how to have a sustainable international student experience at UCD - and download your copy of our Green Guide!

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All students with a disability, significant ongoing illness or Specific Learning Difficulty have the opportunity to receive reasonable accommodations and supports. These may include classroom supports such as informing your lecturers about your disability and/or exam supports e.g. extra time for exams (10 minutes per hour). To receive these supports students are invited to complete a short meeting called a Needs Assessment with UCD Access & Lifelong Learning.

To make an appointment for a Needs Assessment or to review your supports email disability@ucd.ie
Learn more about UCD support HERE.

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The Cothrom na Féinne Undergraduate Scholarships

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The Cothrom na Féinne Undergraduate Scholarships

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Scholarship for First Years who have accepted an offer to study at UCD.
Learn more and Apply HERE.

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See UCD policies on Continuation-Academic Progress, Fitness to Continue in Study and Fitness to Practise HERE.

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After completing this course, students receive a Certificate. More info HERE. **
Library training "Contract Cheating" HERE
See more about Academic Integrity and Plagiarism HERE**

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This is targeted to students to assist them in finding books, journals and other sources, but it is also very useful for faculty. See HERE.

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Our school has listed Harvard as our prefered style of citation, see guidelines HERE. See also a useful video HERE.

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UCD Writing Centre provides free, one-to-one tuition and a range of workshops on all aspects of the writing process.
More info HERE.

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UCD Writing Centre provides free, one-to-one tuition and a range of workshops on all aspects of the writing process. You can find us in Link Space 2 of the James Joyce Library. We also offer a limited number of online sessions.

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UCD Writing Centre provides free, one-to-one tuition and a range of workshops on all aspects of the writing process. You can find us in Link Space 2 of the James Joyce Library. We also offer a limited number of online sessions.

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See several resources for international students.

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Skip to Main Content

It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

International Students Study Skills

Studying at university in Ireland might be different to that of your home country. Things like learning, classes, and assignments may all work in ways you are not familiar with. This page will give you basic information on these and study tips on how to succeed.

This information is useful before you arrive in Ireland or while you are here studying.

Study Tips for International Students

In Irish academic culture, students are expected to undertake a lot of independent study. This type of learning requires students to plan their study time and set goals for their own learning. Ways of doing this include making a study or revision plan, reviewing lecture notes, critically reading recommended reading, taking organized notes and actively reading around a subject area. Students can work alone or organize study groups.

In class, lecturers and tutors may be less directive about the content of a subject area and about what is expected in your independent study time. To help find out what is expected, read the course handbook or module description. Look for module aims and outcomes. These should briefly summarize what must be learned by the end of each module.

Never be afraid to ask for help. Contact a lecturer or tutor if you need clarification on the further independent study required for a module. Sending an email or asking to talk after class are good approaches. Classmates can also be a good source of information and help.

There are different types of teaching methods, depending on the course you take. During these classes students will be required to participate in different ways.

A lecture usually involves the lecturer presenting to a large group of students on a topic or theme. They often last about one hour. Students are expected to listen and take notes during lectures. Lecturers will often provide a copy of the presentation either before or after a lecture. A lecturer may invite students to answer questions or take part in group activities during the lecture. View our page on taking lecture notes for some tips.

Tutorials

Tutorials are smaller than lectures and usually require more interaction from students. This is a chance to practice speaking in English about academic content. Tutorials are led by a tutor and usually focus on the theme of the last lecture. Students are often asked to do some work or reading in advance. Tutorials are a chance to find out more on your subject areas, ask questions, and to get to know fellow classmates. Students will be expected to speak out and contribute to discussions.

In general, practical or laboratory sessions are classes where students will be given clearly defined tasks which they must undertake in a classroom or laboratory. Usually they are led by a researcher or lecturer in the area. Often students will be producing something that will be examined by their lecturers.

In Irish academic culture, students are expected to actively participate when asked to by their lecturer. It can mean volunteering an answer to a question a lecturer has posed to the class, taking part in a small group discussion in class, speaking on behalf of a group on a topic discussed, or even giving your critical evaluation on a theory or piece of research. The aim of this is to encourage students to think independently, engage with content and improve critical thinking skills. Use the Library's guide on Critical Thinking for help.

Culturally, this might be very different to the teaching format in your home country. Speaking in English, in an academic setting, may also be very hard. Keep trying, do not be embarrassed about having to speak slowly. Lecturers and tutors are very happy to get contributions from all students in class, especially those visiting from other countries.

To improve your spoken English, make friends with people who you must communicate in English with. This will really help. You could also join a UCD Society or set up a study group.

If English is your second language, reading at university will take longer. Timetable yourself extra time to read course material. On reading lists, essential or core reading must be read. Recommended reading can be undertaken at your discretion. Ask your lecturer for guidance on what to read. Students in Irish universities are expected to read beyond their lecture notes. Reading journals, watching documentaries in English on your subject and talking to fellow students can help. Look at our guides on Active Reading and Critical Thinking.

Writing in a second language is a challenge. Writing academically in English is an extra challenge. The traditions of how academic pieces are written in Irish academic culture might be different to those you are used to in your own language and culture.

Writing in assignments requires formality, objectivity and analysis. Evidence is always provided for any argument or critical review. The subjects you are studying will have their own particular English vocabulary. The Academic Phrasebank at the University of Manchester is an excellent sources of phrases and terminologies for writing in academic English.

Reading widely in your subject area, in academic sources, is one of the best tools you can use to improve your written academic English. Setting up a study group to read and discuss academic content in English, will also help your academic skills.

Citing, Referencing, and Avoiding Plagiarism

One important difference in academic writing in an Irish setting is that of referencing, citing and plagiarism. Referencing and citing requires that all evidence and information produced in an assignment should have details of their sources included. This means including a marker in the text as to the source of your information (in-text citation) and at the end of the assignment, the full publication details of the source you took this information from (reference). If you do not do this correctly, it is viewed as plagiarism. Plagiarism means taking credit for another person's work. Plagiarism is generally penalized through academic sanctions and in serious cases can lead to failure on a course. It is very important that you learn these skills and apply them in your writing, as even if you do not deliberately plagiarise, you may still be sanctioned.

This might be a very different to the style of writing than you are used to. UCD Library has a comprehensive Academic Integrity Guide explaining what referencing is, how to do it and how you can avoid plagiarism. This includes links to UCD's Plagiarism Policy, which explains your responsibilities as a student.

UCD Writing Centre, based in the James Joyce Library, is available to help you to improve your skills in academic writing at University. They offer one-to-one sessions as well as workshops.

The Writing Centre also has excellent videos on writing topics such as essay writing, writing critically and editing or proofing work.

Please note, the Writing Centre does not offer translation, editing or proofreading services. They can help improve your skills in these areas, but will not do coursework for you.

UCD Applied Languages Centre offers pre-sessional and pre-masters courses for those coming to study at UCD from other countries. They also offer a range of modules in English, which students can sign up for while attending. For full details contact the centre directly and ask them for advice on how they might help you.

Students will be given a range of assignments for their course. It is good practice to familiarize yourself with assignment requirements as soon as you are given them. Sometimes they are noted in your module handbook at the beginning of term. In other instances, lecturers will give them to the class during a term. Ensure you use a study planner to enter the submission dates and allocate time for completing each. Visit our time management section for help with planning.

An essay is a piece of writing where students create an academic argument based on evidence from their reading. The essay is in response to a topic, a title or a question provided by a lecturer. The student must outline their reasoning and knowledge on a topic in the form of an "argument". This must be done in a logical, step-by-step way. Students must provide evidence from the research, as to why their argument is valid and why other arguments on the topic are not valid. At the end, the aim is to persuade a reader that their reasoning is correct.

For simple definitions of concepts such as argument, reasoning and evidence, look at our page on Critical Thinking. In our further reading section below, Stella Cottrell's 'Study Skills Handbook' has an excellent step-by-step guide on how to write an essay.

A report is usually a structured description and analysis of real-life topics. Sometimes a lecturer will give you the expected structure, in other instances you will need to create it. Reports are usually factual and designed to provide information to the reader. Examples of reports would be laboratory reports, research reports, technical reports or business case-study reports. If it is your first time writing one, try to find examples of reports in the area you are going to be writing. This can give you an idea of what is expected.

Sections that might be included in a report include Title, Abstract, Table of Contents, Introduction, Methodology, Results, Analysis, Conclusion, References, and Appendices.

Presentations are sometimes set as part of assessment on a course. Lecturers usually give a topic or choice of topics with a set amount of time given to present. Students are then expected to write and verbally deliver a structured presentation on that topic. It may include an analysis of a subject area, reporting on a project, or some sort of creative piece. In all cases students are expected to critically evaluate all content presented. Students may use audio-visual aides to help communicate the information.

Group projects usually involves a small group of students from the class. Groups are expected to produce a joint piece of work for submission. Some lecturers ask for both a group submission and then a related individual submission. Students are expected to take an equal share of the work and allow all group members participate. Submissions might be a report, a presentation or an academic poster. These can be challenging learning experiences, especially when working with a diverse group. The aim of group work projects is to prepare students for the world of work. If you experience problems in your group, speak with your lecturer or tutor.

Exams, Closed
Written exams are a chance for students to show lecturers what they have learned in their course. These are usually held in a certain location, at a certain time, for a certain length. The exam will be made up of a choice of questions which students do not know in advance. Instructions on how many questions to answer will be given on the exam paper. Students will then be expected to answer those questions, with evidence from their reading, in the time allowed.

Visit our page on Exams and Revision to help you prepare for and sit exams.
Exams, Open-Book
Open-book exams are generally held at a certain time, for a certain length, at a location of choice by the student. Lecturers will present a set of questions, which students can then answer using any of their reading materials or notes. These exams are designed to allow students show what they have learned and how they can critically engage in their course subjects. More information on is available on our Open-Book Exams page.

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academic integrity module brightspace explore

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LibGuides: Academic Integrity - Referencing, Citation & Avoiding Plagiarism: International Students Study Skills

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